Pregnant herself, trainer Ashley Swoboda has a special empathy for women who are expecting When a woman is pregnant, getting in a workout at the gym may not be the first thing on her mind. The couch is comfortable for swollen feet. Naps are enticing after nights of tossing and turning, trying to get comfortable....

A Green Thumb can be good for you. Just ask Alice Longfellow, co-owner of Longfellow’s Garden Center in Centertown, celebrating its 30th anniversary in March. Even though it’s winter, indoor plants add color and life to any décor and they also make our homes and business environments healthier...

from Macaroni Kid Jefferson City editor, Michelle Leaf Spring is almost here and it’s time to say goodbye to winter’s cold grip! Let’s get outside and play! With our screen-centered culture, we sometimes find it hard to get our families outdoors to reap all of the benefits of sunshine and fresh...

It seems to be a rite of passage for new parents to be sleep-deprived but the nightly struggle putting their newborns to sleep can have serious affects on the entire family. According to research, mothers whose babies keep them up at night are more likely to suffer from postpartum depression. They’re...

Sitting in her special chair, four-year-old Reem Nouri played with a brightly colored toy. Her small hands pressed the red, yellow and blue buttons, and she smiled up at her mother, Nada Nouri. “Reem is just the joy of the house,” Nada, of Jefferson City, said. “When you see Reem, you can tell...

Last year Jony & Kraig Lootens decided to be healthier together and adopted the Atkins diet, successfully losing 60 pounds between the two of them. “The diet was ideal for Kraig so he could eat any meat and cheese he wanted,” laughed Jony, 32, a social worker for SSM Hospice in Jefferson City....

Rebecca Welsh had a hole in her heart. Probably since birth, or that’s what the doctors told her after they found it earlier this year. In February, she suffered a stroke, followed by open heart surgery. Her journey of recovery, according to her family, is nothing short of a miracle. Married and the mother...

In March of 2011 Brenda Hofstetter, a certified reflexologist through The International Institute of Reflexology, opened Happy Feet Unlimited and quickly found clients flocking to her hand and foot massages. “To market my business I went to a Women’s Night Out event to support the Community For Breast...

Melody Walz brings yoga to her clients, many who have had joint replacements, illnesses such as cancer or MS. She also works with people in recovery and suffering from chronic pain, anyone who would find it challenging being part of a group yoga class at a gym. “Some of my older clients aren’t comfortable...

If laughter is truly the best medicine, Jan Harcourt, owner of Tools for Stress, LLC, has taken it to heart. A playful interactive form of yoga, laughter yoga involves stretching and basic yoga moves but it’s also a chance for the participants to embrace their inner child. Harcourt also leads more...